Chapter 16 Summary

Because of his youth and inexperience, Billy refuses to accept that Claggart is behind the mischief being done to him. The narrator tells us here that sailors, as a class tend to be more childlike and trusting than other men. Their lives are controlled ; they rarely need to make decisions for themselves. They are trained to obey orders without questioning them, whereas landsmen must assume control of their lives early on and have more freedom and flexibility to make choices. As a result, the landsman will learn distrust early in his life and this differentiates him from sailors.

Chapter 16 Analysis

Billy is almost child-like, which is one of the qualities that make him so well-liked. He is an innocent. This old man dubbed him "Baby Budd" because of this quality. While our narrator assures us that seamen as a class tend to be...